The invention relates to a multi-axle running carriage for rail vehicles, having two longitudinally extending cast side walls in which the axles are mounted and transverse connecting means which are disposed axis-parallel between two axles and are connected to the side walls, the side walls and the transverse connecting means forming a running carriage frame bearing a spring-mounted vehicle frame which can be fitted on.
The invention starts from a multi-axle running carriage taking the form of a double-axle running carriage which is known from European Patent 0009726 and in which the transverse connecting means are transverse rods attached to the side walls between and also in front of the axles to form a closed running carriage frame. The running mechanism is also suspended from leaf supporting springs and chain link hangers, the load being transmitted in the planes determined by the two rigid side walls as a rule produced in cast steel construction in which the axle bearings lie. The transverse connecting means do not take part in load transmission but merely ensure the rigid connection of the side walls in the axial direction.
In the rail vehicle bogie disclosed in European Patent 0031008, which is not in the same category, the forces resulting from the load are introduced similarly, namely between the two bearings on each side, although in this case the imposed load is directly borne by a central axis-parallel transverse support integrated in the running carriage frame. Side walls of the kind according to the present invention are not used, but the transverse support of fibre-reinforced plastics merges into four spring arms which spring the axles. This is an H-shaped running carriage frame and as a whole represents a construction which dispenses with the established cast side walls and requires a number of additional secondary steps to achieve a running carriage of lightweight construction.
Lightweight constructions are not very suitable for long heavy railway wagons, to which the invention in the first place relates, nor are they robust enough to satisfy the operating conditions over rough--i.e., uneven tracks.
It is an object of the invention to provide a multi-axle running carriage which is suitable for long heavy wagons used for transporting goods, including bulk goods, and which is robust in structure and simple to manufacture and assemble, but flexible enough to be able to follow unevenesses of the track.